FORMULA OF DEATH
by Neil Davies
Summary: Jo Grant's new job could well be her last.


FORMULA OF DEATH

Copyright Neil Davies 2007

Easing open the door a crack Jo listened carefully, apart from the soft hum of a fan and the distant bubble of some liquid there were no sounds. She eased inside, there was no sign of anyone and with a sigh of relief she closed the lab door behind her. Clegg had said he would be out visiting a client for at least an hour that should be plenty of time for what she had to do.

Checking the small camera to make sure it had a film in it and there was a flash, she moved in between the long wooden tables heavily laden with lab equipment. Normally a clerk had no access to the lab but then Jo was a lot more than a mere typist, she was trained in surveillance and spying techniques and at that moment she was gathering information for UNIT.

A sudden bleep made her jump with fright, what was that, where had it come from was it an alarm?

Peering over onto the right she saw a panel of winking lights arranged in two volumes above them was the legend 'temperature controls', Jo gave a smile oh yes of course Clegg kept his lab unusually warm, something to do with a vital specimen and it was this that she was looking for.

According to the Brigadier, Clegg had been gathering some unusual biological and chemical compounds many of which were on the secret list, stuff no private researcher should have. UNIT wanted to know why but they couldn't organise a raid without ruffling important political feathers, Clegg had a cabinet minister as a brother-in-law so it was time for an undercover operation.

The odd bubbling sound was getting louder and there was a pungent smell with it to, something quite vile that brought tears to Jo's eyes, the last thing she wanted to do was go any nearer but she knew she had to. If she chickened out the Brig would be furious and she could imagine what he'd say.

"Well really Miss Grant you're supposed to be a special agent, but if you can't undertake something as routine as this what use are you to me?"

If only the Doctor was with her, but he'd flown off in that police box of his to somewhere or other and goodness only knew when he'd be back, or even if he would come back. This just seemed more his sort of thing than hers – odd scientists and strange experiments – in truth Jo felt a bit out of her depth.

The stink and the bubbling were coming from behind a wide green curtain, which had been drawn across the far end of the lab isolating this area from the rest of the place. Jo wondered what could be behind it and her imagination summoned all kinds of terrors, maybe it was something alive that would leap out of her all fangs and tentacles. Well she'd seen stranger since her time with UNIT, hadn't she?

Get a grip girl it's probably just a jar of some steaming chemical that makes a bad niff, like a chemistry experiment from school. Jo had been quite good at chemistry she'd never missed a lesson, then again with dishy Mr Dawson for a teacher what girl would?

Reaching the curtain she touched it with a trembling hand, the fabric was curiously warm as though exposed to the sun and from it came a strange coppery smell that clung to Jo's fingers much to her disgust. She was about to wrench the curtain aside when a click came from somewhere behind her across the lab, turning she sank to her haunches at once. Had she been discovered, if so would her stock excuse be believed _I was just looking for the ladies loo?_ This sounded a bit feeble to her now, who'd look for a lav in a restricted laboratory?

But the click wasn't repeated and there was no accusatory roar of "What do you think you're doing here young lady?"

Turning back to the curtain Jo took it and very slowly, very cautiously eased it out of the way.

Nothing rushed out at her, there was no gush of lethal congealing plastic, no cold harsh Dalek voice there was just a big glass case like something you'd keep tropical fish in, only there were no fish in sight just a small mound of heaving, pulsating green mucus.

Face wrinkling she stared at it wondering what it could be, that it was alive was beyond doubt after all it was moving, breathing, it looked alive and when the curtain exposed it there was a definite reaction – the heaving pulsations became more agitated like the blob (Jo couldn't think what else to call it), was somehow annoyed.

Was it some kind of alien creature in captivity, Jo circled the tank but she couldn't see anything like a mouth or eyes or limbs there weren't even any tentacles and alien nasties had to have those didn't they? The only thing she could make out extending from underneath the blob where what looked like roots.

Roots?

Could this be some sort of vegetable, a plant? It wasn't lying in any soil the bottom of the tank was covered in tin foil so there was nothing for the roots to draw nourishment from.

With trembling fingers she raised the camera, now how did you work it again was it the blue button or the grey one? Whatever this blob was the UNIT experts could figure it out, maybe the Brig would show it to the Doctor he was bound to know.

Click went the camera and there was a small flash, good it was working. Jo moved to another angle, click, she moved again and took a third shot.

Then there came a definite bang-scrape from across the lab, this time there could be no doubt – she wasn't alone there was somebody else here!

Jo was on the far side of the tank now so she could hide behind it, knees bent she rested her elbows on the thick wood of the table that held the tank.

The bang-scrape was repeated louder and closer then it was followed by a series of metallic taps, a dozen of them in rapid succession like someone was hitting the vinyl floor with a cane.

Did Clegg have a walking stick, he had a slight limp but she couldn't recall him using any kind of aid in any case the professor would still be out.

Jo saw movement ten yards away a flash of silver caught by sunlight, it was lower to the ground than a man and moving as fast as a cat only it was no feline, not with 8 legs.

Jo counted them again yes there were definitely 8 appendages supporting the thing on the other side of the tank, Jo blinked at it there was a long bulbous body and a sharp angular head. It was at least five feet in length and quite narrow and it was made of metal – it was without doubt some kind of robot.

The twin eyes on the head glowed bright green and Jo felt something warm play over her some sort of beam – she had been detected and scanned. Lifting her camera she took a snap of the spider, and a spider was just what it looked like a giant mechanical monstrous arachnid.

Slipping the camera into the back pocket of her jeans Jo looked around for another way out of the lab but there wasn't one, the only way out was the door she'd come through and the spider was in the way. She straightened up okay if she couldn't escape she'd have to find some kind of weapon. Leaning against the wall to her left was a mop she grabbed it, the handle was of sturdy timber and would be able to deliver a considerable blow, whether it would affect a robot she had no idea maybe she could snap one of those thin legs and disable it.

Moving around the table with the mop held back to front she aimed it at her opponent, some kind of automated guardian left behind by Clegg to protect his lab. Those green eyes glared at her but he spider made no attempt to move as she emerged fully into view.

"Now look," she said. "I don't want any trouble, I'm leaving here okay."

No reaction not so much as a bleep maybe it had done all it could, maybe if she moved away from the green fungus it would leave her alone. She took another step aware how weak her knees felt and how dry her mouth was, come on Jo you've faced alien monsters and even the Master why should you be cared of some oversized tin spider, but she was – utterly terrified?

Then they appeared snapping into view on the front of the head, a pair of mandibles shaped like garden shears only bigger and sharper.

Turning to her the monster took several rapid steps and the shears went snap-snap-snap, with each snap a chunk of mop was cut away until almost none of it remained and Jo had been forced back against a table edge with nowhere to run and no one to help her.

Next episode….Arachnid.


End file.
